This invention relates to a process for manufacturing an electronic component having an outer package made of a resin material such as an integrated circuit or the like and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly to a process for manufacturing an electronic component of diversified small-quantity production such as an integrated circuit for specific applications called ASIC and an apparatus therefor.
A process for manufacturing an electronic component which has been conventionally practiced in the art generally includes a die-bonding step of adhesively mounting integrated circuit chips (hereinafter referred to as "IC chips") on a lead frame, a wire-bonding step of connecting bonding pads of the IC chips and the lead frame to each other by means of lead wires, and a molding step of forming a resin material into an outer package for covering a periphery of each of the IC chips. In the conventional process, the steps are executed independent from each other. Thus, in the conventional process, it is required to arrange a number of identical equipments at every step and execute the steps independently from each other.
Recently, high densification and thinning of integrated circuits have been well in progress. Concurrently, it is extensively desired to realize dust-free environment and unmanning for continuous operation over twenty-four hours a day and develop a production line capable of effectively accommodating diversified small-quantity production which is carried out with respect to specific electronic components such as ASIC and the like.
Unfortunately, the conventional process requires time and labor for storing and transferring semi-finished products in the course of manufacturing because the respective steps of the process are executed separate from each other, resulting in failing in unmanning and to accommodate diversified small-quantity production.
In order to eliminate the above-described disadvantages, it is attempted in the art to promote in-line execution of both die-bonding step and wire-bonding for the purpose of realizing unmanning. However, a wire bonder for executing the wire-bonding step is inferior in productivity to a die bonder for executing the die-bonding step, so that it is required to arrange three or five wire bonders for every die bonder in order to form a line. The line thus formed exhibits an advantage when a production lot size is increased as seen in production of memories; however, it causes a decrease in operating efficiency when a production lot size is reduced as seen in diversified small-quantity production such as production of ASIC, because it frequently requires a change in arrangement or program. Further, at the present time, application of such in-line is limited to a combination of the die-bonding and wire-bonding, therefore, the molding step must be excluded from the in-line.